Every Good Turn, (A Muggle in the Ministry)
by Oriondruid
Summary: Little did Dennis know that the Halloween fancy dress party he was going to would lead him into an entirely new world of romance and magic.


**Every Good Turn.**

(A Muggle In The Ministry)

By Oriondruid

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Every Good Turn, (A Muggle in the Ministry)... Plot summary.

A Muggle on his way to a Halloween party dressed as Wizard saves a real Wizard from an attack by thieves in a dark alley near The Leaky Cauldron. Confusion ensues as the real Wizard mistakes him for one of his own kind, but this leads to the Muggle being invited into The Leaky Cauldron and then receiving a very unusual and life changing job offer. :-) Ostensibly a light-ish and slightly romantic bit of 'fluff,' as a 'one-shot', but which could be easily expanded episodically to full novel length showing how life improves both in the Wizarding World and in that of the Muggles after the Battle of Hogwarts. Virtually canon to the DH Epilogue and also consistent with aspects of Sarcastrow's wonderful Sisters of the Moon series and my own projection of the post war future of the Wizarding World in the self penned story/article The Boy Who Triumphed. Complete at present as a 'one shot' but may well eventually go full length one day.

**With regard to the following story the characters and settings belong completly to the works and 'world' created by J.K. Rowling and are derived entirely from her work. Only the plot is my own and I am grateful that she so kindly allows us, her fans, to enter her world and 'play' for a while. This is an entirely amateur work and not for profit.**

**Author's Note:** This story is a substantial rewrite of the version I previously had posted. It contains much new material and some corrections (well as much as the site's editing software will allow) since for some reason I cannot change all the errors I would wish to, the document simply reverts to it's original format and wording in places once posted on the site, no matter what I do or how many attempts I make to swap it for a corrected version. Gotta love computers eh? :o(

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**Chapter One: Encounter In An Alleyway.**

It was a very cold but dry Saturday evening as I made my way up Charing Cross Road on my way to a Halloween fancy dress gala party in a club nearby. This was a charity 'bash' in the aid of injured military service personnel and as I was a recovering one myself not long back from having my arse nearly blown off in Afghanistan I'd decided to go along. I had made my way into Central London by train to Charing Cross Station, as I lived in Dartford, North Kent. Because it was a fancy dress 'do' I had decided to wear my costume to travel in, as it was a bit too much of a hassle to carry it with me and then find somewhere to change on arrival. The costume was a quite resplendent wizard style garb, with a long velvet cloak, an unconvincing long false beard (which I hadn't yet bothered putting on) and an embroidered and mirrored 'ethnic' style hat, much like many I had seen being worn by locals whilst out in the Middle East. I thought I looked very dashing in this get-up and that it would be a bit of a laugh to wear it into the city on the train.

I'd arrived in Central London and was about three quarters of the way from the station to the club venue, which was located just off Charing Cross Road when, whilst passing a dark side alley, I heard the unmistakeable sounds of a violent scuffle coming from the shadows behind a large 'dumpster' type bin. Being a soldier and trained in both armed and unarmed combat, (even though currently still recovering from injuries), I was unafraid of possible conflict and walked up the alleyway to investigate. As I passed the large bin I saw two thugs kicking a man, who was slumped to the floor by the wall. I yelled at them and they turned to face me, leaving their victim alone. One of the young muggers, perhaps either more cowardly or maybe more sensible than the other immediately ran off up the alley, but the other, a greasy haired thuggish looking youth, pulled out a vicious looking hunting knife and stood his ground saying "Don't come any nearer or I'll stab you up!"

"Oh goody, an idiot," I thought to myself, having been missing the 'buzz' of combat a bit, whilst recovering at the rehabilitation unit. I advanced on the thug and as I came within range he lashed out with the knife, just as I had expected him to. I calmly broke his arm and he screamed like a little girl. "You broke my effing arm," he shouted at me, stating the bleeding obvious as is often the case with the stupid.

"So I did," I replied calmly. "Next it'll be your scrawny neck so I recommend you get the hell out of here."

Obviously no longer fancying his chances, still muttering curses and nursing his injured arm the thug staggered off up the alley in the same direction his companion had taken and soon disappeared from sight. I picked up the weapon he had dropped, handling it by the long sleeve of my wizard's robes and lifting it's lid I put it into the large bin. Then bent down to examine the mugger's victim who was stirring and getting back into a sitting position, his back to the wall. My eyes having now fully adapted to the low light level I saw he was a late middle aged man with grey hair, a ruddy complexion to his distinguished looking face and a rather splendid bushy moustache that would suit an ex RAF fighter pilot. I picked up his old fashioned looking wire framed glasses, which luckily were lying on the ground next to him unbroken, handed them to him and he put them on.

"How are you sir," I asked him.

"A bit sore," he replied, "I think the ruffians may have cracked one of my ribs, but luckily you arrived so quickly they didn't have time to do any more serious damage I think. Thank you for driving them off sir, what do they call you?"

"I'm Dennis Evans sir." I replied, "My mates call me Dirty Den, although that's because of my fighting style in unarmed combat, not my sexual proclivities," I smiled.

"Ah, I thought you looked well trained sir, by the way you took on those thugs. An Auror I take it from the way you handled them."

"Auror?" It wasn't a word I knew, maybe it was some kind of unarmed combat style like a ninja that I hadn't heard of, although I thought I already knew most of them. But before I could query it the the old gentleman went on speaking, saying; "I used to be in law enforcement myself when I was younger, until I got a bit too old for the streets and took a desk job in The Ministry instead. My name is Herbert Ashington, I was just on the way to Diagon Alley around the corner for a Ministry Halloween celebration, but those thugs lept out from behind this big bin thingy and jumped me from behind virtually as soon as I arrived in this alleyway. Before I could even try and defend myself I was on the ground and they started kicking me, thank God you came along when you did, thank you so much Dennis."

With that the man tried to stand up, but I insisted on checking him over for any more serious damage before letting him do so. As everything seemed alright apart from his sore ribs I then helped him to his feet and as he stood up I noticed he too was in some sort of fancy dress, with a long woollen cloak around his shoulders over old fashioned looking, almost Edwardian clothes. I took it that this garb was because of the celebration he'd mentioned he was going to.

"How are you feeling Mr Ashington, not dizzy at all?" I asked as he got to his feet.

"No, just a bit sore, not too bad thanks Dennis," he replied, "I could do with a drink though, will you let me get you one to thank you? We're very near The Leaky Cauldron after all."

That wasn't a pub I knew of, but then again I wasn't a local and as I had plenty of time to get to my party I agreed to accept a drink. We walked out of the alley, back into the lights of Charing Cross Road and then headed up it towards Tottenham Court Road for a few yards. Then suddenly Mr Ashington veered off towards the wall. As he touched it I saw there was in fact a doorway there to a dirty, run down and empty looking premises. Thinking he might be feeling unwell and needing to use the door to lean against I stepped towards him in case he needed support, but as I got alongside him he pushed the door open and I could see light and hear signs of life from inside, so feeling somewhat puzzled I followed him in.

To say I was surprised at what I saw would be an understatement! At first it seemed much like any other run down old pub, with a flagstone floor, an old bar and an attractive looking blonde barmaid. There was mismatched furniture scattered around inside and the décor was a bit shabby and 'lived in' looking.

But then the details began to hit me and I saw how bizarre the place actually was. For a start many of the clientèle looked weirdly dressed, although a lot of the younger ones seemed perfectly normal, in sweatshirts, hoodies and jeans etc, with a few more in more stylish clothing. Several attractive young ladies and their escorts were very well dressed indeed, as if they had called into the pub for a swift drink prior to a night on the town. Then I noticed that several of the illuminated pumpkin decorations that were in place for Halloween were acting strangely. Many of them were simply placed on shelves and in nooks and cranny's as one would expect, but some appeared to be bobbing about at random in the air above head height, with no visible means of support! Next I could scarcely believe my eyes, as a young couple emerged in a flash of green fire from a large fireplace at the side of the pub, and laughing and smiling went up to the bar to order drinks, brushing a small amount of soot from their clothes as they went!

Mr Ashington however seemed totally oblivious to these strange manifestations though and simply turned to me and said, "After our misadventures out there in Muggle land I think we could both do with a nice butterbeer and a large firewhiskey, would that suit you dear boy?"

Not really hearing exactly what he'd asked me and feeling very confused I automatically said, "That'll be fine sir, thank you," and we both approached the bar. The attractive young barmaid smiled at us and asked what we'd like and Herbert Ashington ordered whatever it was he'd said he would.

The drinks having been poured he presented the barmaid whom he called Hannah with some strange foreign looking coins, thanking her and we took our drinks over to a nearby empty table and sat down. I took a sip of my strange 'beer' and found it tasted unlike anything I'd ever had before, but it was delicious. Then, adjusting to my surroundings a bit I asked my companion, "Just what is this place sir, some kind of theme pub? How come those decorations can float about in the air like that, what was the trick with the fireplace about and what was that strange money you used to buy this round?"

The older man looked confused and said, "Surely you must have been to The Leaky Cauldron before Dennis? A fine strapping young Wizard like yourself, must have been to The Alley many times, especially if you are an Auror, along with Knockturn Alley it's a prime 'training beat' for young recruits after all.

"A Wizard sir?" I replied, "surely your joking, "and what's an 'Auror' anyway?" I asked.

"Oh dear," said Mr Ashington, seeming to be shocked and surprised, "You're not a Wizard then I take it Dennis? I'm sorry, I seem to have made a silly error. Maybe I might have been a bit concussed, but I took it from the way you are dressed and how well you fought that thug that you were one of us, but I'm thinking now that you must actually be a Muggle, am I right?"

"I don't know what you mean by a Muggle or Auror sir, but I'm certainly not a Wizard, that's for sure. Before I came in here with you I never even really believed magic existed let alone Wizards and Witches, but looking around here I can see that I was wrong about that." I said to him as I eyed a large tray of drinks serenely floating through the air towards a group of strangely dressed people at another table.

"Oh my! As I said my dear fellow, it's entirely my error." Mr Ashington said. "Let me explain. A Muggle is what we Wizarding folk call non magical people and an Auror is a magical law enforcer. As I told you earlier I used to be one myself when I was young and fit and by your actions and your dress tonight I thought you must be one too. This is a little awkward, strictly speaking you shouldn't be here, but luckily these days, since the war ended, the Statute of Secrecy is a lot more relaxed. Indeed we get quite a lot of Muggles in here these days, on their way to take their children to Diagon Alley to get their school things. If they have been born with magical abilities we call such children Muggleborns and there are a lot more of them that seem to be coming along of late. Very good little Witches and Wizards they make too. Anyway, none of this in any way affects my gratitude for your help this evening, your actions were very brave. How is it that you are so well trained in unarmed combat Dennis?"

His mentioning of a war which had ended intrigued me, since as far as I knew the only one our country had recently been engaged in was the one in Afghanistan, which was still ongoing and from which I'd been shipped home injured. I doubted he was refering to the earlier fight in Iraq. I replied to his question though, saying, "Well you see Mr. Ashington I'm in the military. I was shipped back by the army from Afghanistan a few months ago as I had been quite badly wounded by an IED, (that's what we call a roadside bomb), which the terrorists had set up to kill passing patrols. Sadly some of my mates were killed in the explosion, but I got lucky. I suffered bad blast and shrapnel injuries but pulled through, although it was touch and go for a while and I was lucky to keep my left foot. I've just got out of the rehabilitation centre, these scars you can see on my face were put there by the bomb."

"Please stop calling me sir and Mr Ashington, Dennis," my companion said, "My name is Herbert, especially to you, my saviour from those thugs."

"It was nothing really Herbert," I replied. "Your assailant with the knife was a moronic, violent, waste of space. At least the Afghan fighters are brave, skilled and fierce, the buggers are hard to kill and you can respect them, that is when they decide to take us on directly in a firefight, instead of letting their terrorist pals have a pop at us instead. I could easily have handled half a dozen of tonight's thugs when I was fully fit though. No matter, this pub is fascinating Herbert, I never even imagined such a place existed, especially right here in Central London."

You've only seen a tiny bit of our Wizarding World, my young friend." The older man replied; "As you are here now anyway how would you like to come to dinner with me and my colleagues from the Ministry of Magic? We're holding our department's annual Halloween Dinner Dance in a restaurant in Diagon Alley and it's only a short walk away. It'll be a good party, there will be a lot of my younger colleagues there, some from my own Administrative Section, but also some friends from other departments, quite a few of the guests will be attractive young ladies. Dressed as smartly as you are I'm sure you'll be a hit." Herbert said, winking, then added, "I'm feeling more recovered now myself, I don't think my ribs are broken, as such, and wouldn't want to miss the event as it's always enjoyable and they'll be expecting me there soon, want to join me?"

"Thank you Herbert, I'd love to come along." I replied. "I can easily give the party I was going to a miss, I only decided to go earlier today and nobody was going with me anyway. I'd be fascinated to see some more of your magical 'world'."

We finished our pints, which I discovered were a type of Wizard drink called butterbeer and which I found I liked a lot and then knocked back the chasers 'in one', which were a potent spirit Herbert said was called firewhiskey, the name of which seemed quite appropriate and which certainly would help keep out the cold night air outside. Then instead of heading back out of the pub into the main road to get to the restaurant he'd mentioned, as I'd expected, instead we went out of the pub's rear door into a tiny courtyard at the back of the building.

I was a bit puzzled as there was no gate there to get out of, Just stacks of empty bottles in crates and a few empty beer barrels, but Herbert took what was obviously a wand out from the folds of his woolen cloak, tapped a few bricks in the rear wall of the yard and then the strangest thing I'd seen all that strange evening, (or indeed ever seen in my entire life), happened. The apparently solid and normal brick wall began to move and the bricks rearranged themselves into the form of a gateway, which we then stepped through.

It led through to a fantastical looking, shop-lined cobbled street scarcely wider than an alleyway beyond. This place was all lit up, thronging with an early evening crowd and a great many more of the floating pumpkin Halloween decorations were to be seen, bobbing above the length of the alleyway as far as the eye could see. The shops were mostly closed or closing up but their brightly lit window displays were incredible, full of magical artefacts, broomsticks, cauldrons, strange looking animals in cages, magical books and many other things I could not even recognise.

"Welcome Dennis, to Diagon Alley," Herbert said beaming at me, seeing as I was standing there stunned with my mouth open and trying to take in the scene around me. "We'd better hurry and get to The Hungry Hippogryph, I'm ravenous, I don't know about you but I deliberately skipped lunch today as the food there is great, that's why we book it each year."

**Chapter Two. Hitting it off.**

The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived but being as it had been pre-booked for a special occasion it wasn't too overcrowded. As Herbert had promised the people there were a very mixed bunch of all ages, although in the main closer to my own age than Herbert's. Also, as he had said, there were several very attractive young ladies whom I took to be Witches there.

Herbert introduced me to several of his older colleagues and briefly explained how I came to be there with him before we sat down to eat. They were all very friendly and expressed their gratitude that I had been able to help Herbert. The waiter, having very slickly magically extended the table by one place and setting it accordingly, we were then seated and served with our starters.

The meal was great, I had the steak and it was just how I'd asked it to be, very well done as I like my meat cremated. The chips I'd asked for to go with it were plump, golden and well cooked, not those horrible stringy things you get in some places and the peas were fresh, not frozen. If this was Wizarding food I was fully in favour.

Although my own steak was as I'd wanted it I noticed that one very attractive young Witch just a bit further up the long table from me, (whom Herbert told me when I asked was called Lavender Brown), had her own very large steak unaccompanied, virtually raw and oozing blood. This odd habit Herbert informed me was due to a medical condition she had contracted, due to injuries she had sustained in a magical battle a few years back in some place called Hogwarts. This sounded fascinating to me as a military man and I resolved later to have a chat with this pretty 'Warrior Witch' with the weird eating habits about the mysterious war that Herbert had mentioned earlier.

The dinner was delicious and went very well. The wine flowed freely as the conversation got livelier. Seeing as how I was eating so much and knocking back the vino I suggested to Herbert that I should pay for my meal, but he said, "Don't you worry Dennis, you're my guest. I won't hear of it, anyway this is all on the Ministry of Magic's account, so you might as well enjoy something back from the Government for a change. After all the Muggle Government doesn't pay you soldiers anywhere near enough for the job you do and the risks you take."

After we had all finished eating the waiting staff came in, cleared the dishes and magically floated them out into the kitchen, then the tables were shifted to the side of the restaurant with a wave of their wands along with the chairs, this re-grouping giving room for people to dance as the music started, played by a small 'combo' of three musicians on a tiny stage at the end of the room. Two of them, (somewhat eye-bogglingly for me), seemed to be some sort of goblins or dwarves, which was just as well as the stage would not have easily held three full sized human musicians

I excused myself from Herbert and his colleagues for a while and headed over to have a word with the fascinating Lavender Brown, whose story I'd become interested in. I introduced myself to her and her friend, a very attractive Asian girl whom I learned was called Pavarti Patil. They were both very friendly and I explained briefly who I was and how I'd come to be there that evening. I went on to say that Herbert had told me a bit about Lavender and that being a soldier I was interested in her story, not knowing what battle she had fought in. Up close I could see that Lavender's face bore a scar pattern amazingly similar to my own, but older, more healed and skilfully toned down by make-up. Despite these battle scars she was still a very beautiful young woman, as indeed was her companion Pavarti.

The three of us took some drinks and went and sat in a quieter corner of the restaurant away from loudest of the music for a while and had a chat. From the two girls I got a brief resume of the recent turmoil in the Wizarding World and the story of how it had all come to a head in an amazing magical battle against a Dark Wizard called Lord Voldemort and his followers at their school of magic called Hogwarts, which Lavender and Pavarti had both attended and in which both girls had fought.

In this battle Lavender had suffered injuries from a serious fall whilst saving her friend Pavarti's life and then to make matters worse had been attacked whilst she was down, by a Werewolf called Fenrir Greyback. Yes, that's what she said, a Werewolf no less!

Luckily she had been saved by fellow school pupils, somebody called Hermione Granger having blasted the Werewolf off of her with a spell. But because of her injuries and their cursed nature it had been a long road back to full fitness for her. As to the evil Wizard called Voldemort who was primarily responsible for all the trouble, well it seemed he in effect killed himself by a magical mistake he made whilst trying to murder some guy called Harry Potter, whom, it seemed, was a major Wizarding hero and who had thwarted him several times before.

It was all fascinating stuff and explained Lavender's odd dietary intake for sure. I was also told that although she had become a full lycanthrope due to the bites she had suffered, she was unique of her kind and because of special help from Pavarti and her other all female 'coven mates', (known as The Sisters of the Moon), Lavender was able to remain fully sentient and in control of her own actions, even whilst transformed and in full wolf. I later learned that following the publication in the Wizarding World of a very popular children's book, which was written by her friend, ex love rival and magical 'Coven Sister', (the person who'd saved her at the Battle, who was now married and called Hermione Weasley), Lavender was now famous in the Wizarding World. Hermione's book had told her life story, all about what happened to her at the Hogwarts Battle and afterwards. As a result she was widely known and loved by magical children, who called her The Good Wolf, thus nicknamed after the book's title. As people inflicted with lycanthropy had previously been treated very badly in the Wizarding World Lavender's popularity with the younger generation was certain to bring about a much needed attitude change in the future.

Since regaining her fitness following the injuries she'd sustained she'd become an Auror. Of itself this was revolutionary for one who would previously been a social outcast and her appointment had been down to the popular new Minister for Magic, backed up by Ms. Granger and her friends, who all being war heroes managed to swing public opinion to permit her to take on her Auror role. In that task she was able to utilise the heightened senses and strength she got, either when she deliberately transformed to wolf (as she was capable of), or if transformed 'normally' at the full moon. She was particularly focussed on and dedicated to child protection cases since, (because her condition meant she must remain childless), she'd vowed to use her strengths to protect all children. Fearsome and terrifying to her enemies though she was however, most of the time, she was a perfectly normal, fun loving and beautiful young woman and, I was sure, a great friend to have. Pavarti Patil was lucky to have her as such and her boyfriend, whom I was told would be joining us shortly, was a lucky man to have won her heart.

After telling me all this, in return the two girls asked me about my own battle experiences in the army and how I had come to be injured myself. Lavender also having noticed that we both coincidentally carried a very similar scarring pattern on our faces, although mine simply being down to shrapnel, not Werewolf claw marks. As I finished telling my own story Lavender's awaited boyfriend, a jovial Irish guy called Seamus as expected arrived to meet her. He'd been working late and thus had been unable to make it in time to join her for the meal. The obviously infatuated couple kissed passionately, then excused themselves and went for a dance.

I might have become jealous, but Pavarti was still with me and was also a very pretty young lady and I had been getting on equally well with both girls whilst we were having our chat. Pavarti it seemed had just dumped her last fella (for reasons she didn't go into at that time), he'd been some bloke called Cormack something or other apparently, (must have been a right plonker to have let her get away). That was why Pavarti was there without a date, so I asked her to join me for a dance. This we both enjoyed very much, despite the ongoing weakness in my left ankle which meant we had to sit out a lot of the faster numbers and chat. My mostly only being able to dance to the slower more 'smoochy' numbers seemed to suit us both fine however and she was such a good dancer she made my own somewhat more cumbersome efforts look good. I complemented her on her skill and she thanked me, saying she'd began to dance at her boarding school, a place called Hogwarts where young Witches and Wizards went off to be educated at age 11 and that she'd first learned to dance for a magnificent Yule Ball she'd attended there.

Indeed as we chatted and twirled round the dance floor we got on so well that I made a date with her to meet at the pub on the following Saturday evening, saying I'd take her out from there for an evening in Muggle London. Pavarti had explained to me that having once been into The Leaky Cauldron despite being a Muggle myself the concealment charms had broken for me and I would in future be able to see through the magic that kept the doorway and indeed the whole building invisible to most of my fellows, so luckily I'd have no problem getting back in there to meet up with her.

As the party was winding down a bit I excused myself from Pavarti for a while leaving her with her friends Lavender and Seamus and returned to Herbert, who had spent most of the evening chatting to his older Ministry colleagues. I thanked him very much for the evening and he said, "I saw you were dancing with the lovely Ms. Patil, you lucky chap. I told you there'd be some pretty young Witches here, didn't I?" And he winked at me, smiling.

"Yes Herbert, she's a very nice girl, as is Lavender, thank you again for inviting me and giving me the chance to meet her." I replied, then continued, "In fact Pavarti and myself have arranged to meet up next weekend for a night on the town in Muggle London."

"That's splendid news Dennis, and talking of good news I've been having a word with my colleagues this evening about you and what happened to us earlier and they agree that a young man like yourself would be a great asset to the Ministry staff. We have several Muggles already in our employ in specialist roles, as scientists, technical experts, Muggle Police/Auror liaison officers etcetera and so, if you might like to consider it, we'd love to offer you a job. And don't worry about your army commitments, the Ministry can sort that out. I'm sad to say that in any case I doubt that you'd be considered again for front-line service for some time, not until you are fully fit anyway and maybe not even then, given the extent of the injuries you've already sustained. What's more I'm certain that the new job would pay a damn sight better than you're getting now and that you'd enjoy it."

I knew deep down that he was right about my chances of getting back to the frontline and it had been worrying me, as my 'dodgey' ankle was unlikely to ever fully recover enough for combat duty. I couldn't see myself as ever being able to patrol for miles again carrying a rifle and a heavy pack on my back all day, as once I could. So I listened with interest as Herbert carried on explaining.

"What my colleagues and I have in mind for you is a dual role, partly with the Auror's Department as an unarmed combat trainer, since we always train our Aurors in such techniques, it being a useful thing to know if one is disarmed and have no wand, or if it has been damaged. There might also be some instances where a Muggle's presence and knowledge on an Auror field operation could be very useful, our Police Liaison Officers are sometimes called on to help out in some circumstances where there is a chance of Muggles getting hurt or tangled up in an Auror operation. So you might perhaps still be able to take on an 'action' role from time to time. The other part of the time you'd be in the Muggle Relations Department, as we have big things planned that are coming up over the next few years, lots of positive developments following the problems highlighted by the war and a Muggle's take on them and input would be most useful to us. If you think you'd be interested here's my card, follow the instructions on the back about how to get into the Ministry via the Visitor's Entrance and come and see me first thing Monday morning. Meanwhile think it over dear boy, the happy accident of our meeting earlier, despite the circumstances, might prove advantageous to us both."

"Thank you very much Herbert." I said as I pocketed his card. "I'll certainly think it over and I'll come and see you to find out more, thank you once again for an excellent evening." Then we shook hands and I rejoined Pavarti, Lavender and Seamus.

We all four shortly left the restaurant then went back to The Leaky Cauldron for a nightcap and another chat, with Seamus showing what a funny and likeable bloke he was, telling hilarious jokes that even a Muggle like myself could understand and even more hilariously having one of his 'party piece' spells fail in a somewhat incendiary way as he tried to transform a pint of butterbeer into firewhiskey. Luckily Lavender who obviously knew this was likely to happen had her wand at the ready, dousing him and the flames on the table in a spray of water, mainly saving him from much damage, apart from singed eyebrows. Pavarti then whipped out her own wand and dried him off and we all laughed about his cock-up, including Seamus, who it seemed had had such things happen to him on an all too regular basis, ever since he was at school. Eventually Seamus and Lavender 'Flooed' off home to their shared flat and then it was time for Pavarti to go as well. But my goodnight kiss with her when we parted was the sweetest I had ever known and promised much for the future. I made my way to the station to catch the last train home a very happy man.

**Chapter Three. The Ministry's New Mission.**

The following Monday morning at nine o'clock, having fought my way into London through the rush hour, (perhaps not quite as perilous as a stroll in downtown Kabul, but close), I eventually arrived at the Visitor's Entrance to the Ministry of Magic, located in a side street off Whitehall.

Before leaving my home in Kent to catch the train I'd rung Pavarti, as I had done several times over the remains of the weekend and as she'd also done in return. I thanked her again for the wonderful time we'd had together at the Ministry party, telling her how much I was looking forward to our date the coming weekend and asking her what kind of restaurant I should book, (it turned out she knew Muggle London well and had a favourite Italian place in Soho). I told her I'd ring them and she asked me to make sure to speak to the owner whom she knew and ask him to reserve her favourite table.

I had been surpised when just before we'd parted on the night we'd met she'd given me her number, somewhat astonished that a Witch would even have a mobile phone. But she giggled when I expressed this, saying; "We don't live in the Middle Ages Dennis, of course I've got a phone, things have been catching up rapidly in our world the last few years and almost all of us younger Witches and Wizards have them, and other Muggle gadgets too for that matter. You'll even find lots of us on Facebook and other Muggle social websites, obviously we don't make a point of telling people we're magical folk but if a person has a magicaly related username it's odds on they're a Witch or Wizard."

When I'd spoken to her she'd been just about to get on her way to work herself, as I knew she would be from our previous conversations. She'd been about to leave home and go to her job at a magical hospital in London called St. Mungo's, where she was on an early shift, her work being that of a Trainee Healer. Witches and Wizards it seemed led lives not too dissimilar to those we Muggles lead, magic or no magic.

After we'd spoken I located the Visitor's Entrance to the Ministry of Magic, which I knew from Herbert's directions on his card could be found in a red phone box and the instructions I had said to get in, place a coin in the payphone and dial a certain number, which I duly did. The entire phone box then began to sink below the pavement like a lift and I soon found myself in a vast, maginificent and ornately decorated tiled atrium, somewhere deep under the other Whitehall Ministries of our Muggle Government.

The Ministry of Magic was a very strange place, with many Witches and Wizards suddenly appearing in a burst of green fire in the same way I'd seen the young couple do in The Leaky Cauldron earlier, from what seemed to be banks of large fireplaces in a long corridor. However, despite the strangeness, as instructed I went and reported to the Security Desk. I showed them Herbert's card and the uniformed guard there civily informed me they were expecting me, then summoned a messenger to take me to see my new friend Herbert, who it turned out was quite a senior official.

On arrival at his office door I noted his title, Senior Under-Secretary for Internal Administration marked out in gold lettering on his door. "Very impressive." I thought to myself. The messenger knocked and I was admitted to Herbert's plush office in which he was seated behind a large desk. On this, amongst quills in an ornate Victorian style desk stand and other 'olde worlde' office paraphernalia I was surprised to see a laptop computer, having assumed perhaps that Wizards would use magic for everything in their work, although from what Pavarti had told me perhaps I should have known better.

Herbert greeted me warmly, drew up a chair for me that had been standing against the wall with his wand and offered me a cup of tea, which I declined, having had one at the station only shortly before, having got to London a little bit early for my appointment. I asked him about his rib injuries and he assured me that they felt much better, The thug's kick only having inflicted a bad bruise and not a break and apparently soft tissue damage of that kind was something that more or less had to heal naturally, because just like with Muggle medicine, the magical variety could ease the pain but could do little to speed it up. Having assured myself he was on the mend we then got down to business and Herbert explained much about the Ministry's operational remit and about what he thought I might be able to do for them.

As he'd said previously he wanted me to spend part of my time teaching unarmed combat to trainee Aurors, fully qualified members of which force were the magical equivalent of Police Officers, with similar legal powers. In fact I would also be teaching my own successor in that job, which had become necessary as the current instructor was leaving his post due to family illness. However, it was envisioned that the second part of my job would begin to assume more importance as time went on.

This 'second job' was to be a post in the Muggle Relations Department on something called the Muggle Advisory Panel, working alongside other Muggle employees that the Ministry had taken on since the war and jointly advising from a Muggle persective on the best way to safely bring about greater openness and understanding between the Muggle world and that of Wizards and Witches. This was now deemed most desirable, given the rising birthrate of young Muggleborn Witches and Wizards, since as a result of this fact the numbers of Muggles 'in the know' about the Wizarding World was growing much larger, because the parents and siblings of magical children all came to know about magic and thus strict secrecy would soon no longer be an option. Also it was known that in the recent horrible war caused by Lord Voldemort, the Dark Wizard, that he, along with his Death Eater supporters had not only attacked Wizarding folk but had also taken the lives of many Muggles and caused severe damage to their property. This had made it obvious that things would have to change and that the old secrecy was no longer morally supportable either. I was astonished to find out that a lot of the detail about the war and the harm it had caused to my fellow Muggles had previously been covered up by earlier Ministry administrations as being down to 'natural disasters', 'accidents' etcetera.

Herbert went on to tell me that in recent decades the Ministry of Magic had been hidebound and corrupt, even before it's takeover by Voldemort's's supporters. But that now, under the inspired leadership of the war hero Kingsley Shacklebolt as its new Minister, the organisation was becoming leaner, more honest, fitter for purpose and efficient again. A major modernisation programme was in full swing, a prime example of which Herbert explained, by pointing at the computer on his desk.

He said, "For example Dennis take a look at this device, for too many years we Wizards and Witches have had a patronising attitude towards Muggles and their science, far too slowly taking on only a few limited innovations from your world. But in the last few decades we have been forced to face up to the fact that that same science and technology is, in certain ways, now capable of achieving even more than our magic. For instance and just as a small example, the Ministry now has muggle scientists working alongside our research Witches and Wizards and by combining their knowledge they recently discovered a way to shield out the serious damage that the nearby use of strong magic used to inflict on delicate electronics. Indeed this has worked out so well I can now Floo into the Ministry or Apparate to London from my home in Hertfordshire, carrying my computer with me without it suffering in the least from the old damage that would once have ruined it." Herbert smiled

He continued; "As a result of this research The Ministry has just begun installing a computer network to replace the old, slow and inefficient flying memo system you might have seen flitting about as you came in and we'll also soon be able to rid ourselves of the cumbersome and error prone enchanted filing cabinets which we currently still have to use. Once our new Ministry network is fully up and running we'll be able to get rid of the older, slower methods and join the rest of humanity in the Twenty First Century."

Herbert went on, saying; "Muggle technology can also do other things we cannot, such as moving very large numbers of people and vast amounts of goods across continents and oceans by the use of your aircraft and container vessels etcetera, which far outstrip the performance of our brooms and portkeys for long distance mass transit and bulk freight. Indeed even during a previous Quidditch World Cup that was held here pre-war many of the spectators from far flung countries came here using Muggle air transport, finding it by far superior and more comfortable when compared to the magical alternatives and often indeed nearly the only sensible way to get here in a reasonable time. The existing intercontinental chains of range limited multiple portkeys being a very unpleasant, disorienting and cumbersome way to travel otherwise, if a bit quicker, but can only move small numbers of people at a time."

Looking more serious Herbert added; "On the other hand Muggle science is also capable of great destructive evil, far worse even than Lord Voldemort himself could ever have conceived, such as your invention of chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry. Not to mention the more incideous evils of your wasteful consumer society, which is slowly, or maybe not so slowly, killing the planet. The rift in our common humanity must not be allowed to continue, for the good of both Magical and Muggle people alike it must end and a joining of the most positive aspects of both our cultures brought about. Together, if we get it right, we can end wars, poverty and stop the destruction of the planet's environment, but if we do this wrong then it could spell doom for us all. That is the new mission for this Ministry, the reshaping for the common good of both Muggle and Magical society alike, to combine the best that both our cultures are capable of. That is what I'd like you to come and help us achieve, will you join us Dennis?"

"I can think of no better battle I'd like to fight Herbert, I certainly will," I replied, smiling at the bright future his words offered, both for myself and the whole world. A whole new life had opened up for me and I hoped it would be one I'd be shareing together with Pavarti.


End file.
